Session Description

Co-chairs: Jack Kaye and Don Wuebbles

Several major question marks in evaluating future changes in climate and its impacts on society and the environment relate to changes in atmospheric composition. In particular, this session will focus on two primary areas of concern.

Feedbacks on biogeochemical Cycles
Projections of greenhouse gas emissions and concentrations tend to give little consideration to potential feedbacks of climate change on the biogeochemical cycles driving the natural emissions of these gases. The question is: Could feedbacks on biogeochemical cycles from climate change result in a significantly different picture of the future climate than current projections? Could resulting changes in atmospheric composition lead to further enhancements in the changing climate? The recent unexpected increase in the trend of methane may be an example of the sources (e.g. wetlands) of methane responding to the changing climate.

This aspect of the session would examine the current understanding and research needs associated with potential climate feedbacks and greenhouse gases like CO2, CH4, and N2O, plus consider potential feedbacks on aerosol precursors. The session would also consider potential ecological impacts from the changes in biogeochemical cycles. Finally, the session would attempt to put some bounds on the potential effects of these feedbacks on projecting the future climate.

Impacts on Air Quality
Changes in climate could lead to increased concern about local to regional air quality, which in turn could have effects at the global scale. To what extent could climate change have a major impact on air quality? What local to regional effects on ecosystems, etc. could result from the changes in air quality? Could the changes in emissions and composition affecting air quality at the local to regional scale lead to changes in composition at the global scale that could further affect climate?

This part of the session would examine the current understanding and research needs associated with climate impacts on air quality and its regional effects, and attempt to put some bounds on the changes in air quality on local to regional to global scales.

Meeting design: Bring together about 30 scientists for 10 days to discuss issues, develop research agendas, and evaluate bounds.



Participant Roster

Chairs: Jack Kaye and Don Wuebbles
William L. Chameides	Earth & Atm. Sci., Georgia Inst..of Technology
Rick Chappell	Sci. & Res. Com., Vanderbilt U.
Scott Elliott	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Meredith K. Galanter	Geosciences, Princeton University
Vincent Gauci	Eco. & Hydro, Edinburgh Res. Sta.
Robert D. Hudson	Dept. of Met., Univ. of Maryland
Mark Jacobson	Civil & Env. Eng., Stanford Univ.
Prasad Kasibhatla	Env. Chem., Nicholas Sch. of Env.
Jack Kaye	NASA Office of Earth Sciences
Charles E. Kolb	Aerodyne Research, Inc.
Elaine Matthews	NASA Goddard Inst. for Space Stud.
Denise L. Mauzerall	W. Wilson Sch. of Pub.& Int. Affairs
Vernon Morris	Atm. Sciences Program, Howard U.
Cheri Morrow	Ed. & Pub. Outreach, Space Sci. Inst.
Vaishali Naik	Dept. of Atm. Sci., Univ. of Illinois
Lynn Russell	Chemical Eng. , Princeton Univ.
Richard C.J. Somerville	Scripps Inst. of Oceanography
Lean May B. Ver	Oceanography, University of Hawaii
Bernadette P. Walter	NASA Goddard Inst. for Space Stud.
Chu-Feng Wei	Atm. Sciences, Univ. of Illinois
Donald Wuebbles	Atm. Sciences, Univ. of Illinois
Renyi Zhang	Atm. Sciences, Texas A&M Univ.